Saturday, October 18, 2008

Ginger and Pumpkin Jam Recipe

Have you had pumpkin jam before? You should, believe me. When I had a huge pumpkin to dissect and prepare few weeks ago, then pumpkin jam was one of the items on my to-try-list. And as we've already eaten most of the jam I made, I'm going to make some more tomorrow.

The jam has a beautiful bright yellow colour, and lovely ginger kick. We love it. We had this on pancakes this morning, but it's also great spread of a slice of toast, or served as a condiment with some grilled meat (especially if you go heavy-handed with ginger).

Wash the lemon, pat dry and grate the zest. Remove the white pith and discard. Cut the lemon flesh into smaller pieces.
Place pumpkin, water, lemon flesh and grated ginger into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook on a low heat, covered, until the pumpkin flesh is softened. Remove the lid for the last 5 to 10 minutes, so the extra moisture could evaporate.
Smash the pumpkin flesh with a wooden spoon until broken (or press through a fine sieve, if you want a very smooth jam).
Add the jam sugar and grated lemon zest, and cook for another 10 minutes.
Spoon the hot jam into sterilised jars and close immediately.

It was easy to make and came out delicious. What I particularly like about it, is that the jam isn't too sweet and has a lovely slightly spicy ginger flavor which goes perfectly with the mild pumpkin taste.